第24部分(第4/7 页)

who　repeated　the　news；　adding　that　Mr。　Carter　the　surgeon　was　e；　and　was　now　with　Mr。　Rochester：　then　she　hurried　out　to　give　orders　about　tea；　and　I　went　upstairs　to　take　off　my　things。

Chapter　13

Mr。　Rochester；　it　seems；　by　the　surgeon’s　orders；　went　to　bed　early　that　night；　nor　did　he　rise　soon　next　morning。　When　he　did　e　down；　it　was　to　attend　to　business：　his　agent　and　some　of　his　tenants　were　arrived；　and　waiting　to　speak　with　him。

Adèle　and　I　had　now　to　vacate　the　library：　it　would　be　in　daily　requisition　as　a　reception…room　for　callers。　A　fire　was　lit　in　an　apartment　upstairs；　and　there　I　carried　our　books；　and　arranged　it　for　the　future　schoolroom。　I　discerned　in　the　course　of　the　morning　that　Thornfield　Hall　was　a　changed　place：　no　longer　silent　as　a　church；　it　echoed　every　hour　or　two　to　a　knock　at　the　door；　or　a　clang　of　the　bell；　steps；　too；　often　traversed　the　hall；　and　new　voices　spoke　in　different　keys　below；　a　rill　from　the　outer　world　was　flowing　through　it；　it　had　a　master：　for　my　part；　I　liked　it　better。

Adèle　was　not　easy　to　teach　that　day；　she　could　not　apply：　she　kept　running　to　the　door　and　looking　over　the　banisters　to　see　if　she　could　get　a　glimpse　of　Mr。　Rochester；　then　she　coined　pretexts　to　go　downstairs；　in　order；　as　I　shrewdly　suspected；　to　visit　the　library；　where　I　knew　she　was　not　wanted；　then；　when　I　got　a　little　angry；　and　made　her　sit　still；　she　continued　to　talk　incessantly　of　her　“ami；　Monsieur　Edouard　Fairfax　de　Rochester；”　as　she　dubbed　him　（I　had　not　before　heard　his　prenomens）；　and　to　conjecture　what　presents　he　had　brought　her：　for　it　appears　he　had　intimated　the　night　before；　that　when　his　luggage　came　from　Millcote；　there　would　be　found　amongst　it　a　little　box　in　whose　contents　she　had　an　interest